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27 Sports Monday, December 2, 2019 France, Portugal, Germany drawn together at Euro 2020 as England get Croatia 24-team competition being held in 12 cities across Europe BUCHAREST: France face a major hurdle if they are to Southgate’s team to play group games at Wembley, add the European Championship to their World Cup which will also host the semi-finals and the July 12 crown after coming out in the same Euro 2020 group final. That group will be completed by the team to as Germany and reigning European champions emerge victorious from Path C in the play-offs — Portugal in Saturday’s draw in Bucharest. either Serbia, Norway, Israel and Scotland. The latter Neither France nor Portugal were in Pot One for the have the added incentive of knowing they will play 24-team competition being held in 12 cities across two games in Glasgow in the group stage should they Europe, making them the dangerous teams to avoid qualify. England faced the Czechs in qualifying, win- for the top seeds. In the event, they were all put ning 5-0 at Wembley but suffering their only defeat of together in a high-calibre Group F alongside the campaign in Prague, losing 2-1 in October. Germany, who will play all their group games in England will kick off at home to Croatia on June 14 in Munich. That is where Joachim Loew’s team will face a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which was France in their first match on June 16 and then won by the Croatians. Portugal on June 20. However, should England win their group they will “It is the hardest group, but we must accept it. It have to play the Group F runners-up, setting up a means we will have to be ready right away,” said possible clash with Germany, France or Portugal in the France coach Didier Deschamps. Group F will be last 16. Even if they win that, the draw is such that completed by one of the winners of the play-offs to they could end up facing Spain in the quarter-finals. be played next March, leaving open several possibili- When asked about the advantage of playing at ties including Hungary, who will play two games in Wembley, Southgate said: “Obviously eight or 10 Budapest should they make it. teams have the advantage of home group matches, BUCHAREST: Coaches from Group C teams pose behind the trophy during the UEFA Euro 2020 football competi- France beat Germany in the semi-finals of Euro and we have only ever been to one semi-final so that tion final draw in Bucharest (L-R): head coach of Netherlands Ronald Koeman, head coach of Ukraine Andriy 2016 on home soil, before slumping in the final against doesn’t become an advantage unless we get through Shevchenko and head coach of Austria Franco Foda. —AFP Portugal. With the four best third-placed sides all two very complicated knockout matches as well. That going through, it is very possible all three will is a long way down the line.” progress to the last 16, but Loew is in no doubt France Southgate famously missed a penalty when starting with Switzerland on June 13. They played playing in Bilbao. Finland will face two hosts, Denmark — who followed their 1998 World Cup triumph by England lost to Germany in a shootout at Wembley in there this month, and won, against Azerbaijan in a and Russia, as well as much-fancied Belgium in Group winning Euro 2000 — are the strongest team. the Euro 96 semi-finals, the last time they played a qualifier. B at what will be their first Euro. “They are the world champions and have been get- match at home in the tournament. “Obviously come the championships it will be six or The Netherlands, on the rise after missing Euro ting stronger for the last three or four years. They are seven months down the line but we know what to 2016 and the last World Cup, face Ukraine and Austria the group favourites,” he said. WALES HEAD TO BAKU expect, the facilities were fantastic there, and I think along with another play-off winner in Group C. Saint Italy will face Turkey in Rome in the tournament’s it’s also great for the fans that they have got two Petersburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bucharest and HOME ADVANTAGE? opening game on June 12, with Switzerland and Euro games there,” said Wales boss Ryan Giggs. Dublin will also host matches after UEFA decided to Meanwhile, England were drawn with Croatia and 2016 semi-finalists Wales also in that section, Group Spain will play Sweden and Poland as well as a spread the Euro across the continent to mark the 60th the Czech Republic in Group D, with Gareth A. Wales will play two matches in far-flung Baku, play-off winner in Group E, with Luis Enrique’s team anniversary of the first tournament in 1960. — AFP the World Cup final and winning the Champions League how it will work but that is how I see it.” The value of Messi and Rapinoe with Real Madrid. individual honours in football is debatable, and the timing That ended a decade in which Messi and Cristiano unsatisfactory, coming midway through the European Ronaldo had won the Ballon d’Or five times each, but the club season. expected to take smart money now is on the Barcelona man claiming num- Yet surely nobody could suggest Rapinoe would not Harden scores ber six. There are 30 nominees in total for the prize, be a deserving winner of just the second women’s Ballon Ballon d’Or honours organised by France Football magazine and voted for by d’Or, an award voted for by a panel of 48 journalists. 60 as Rockets 180 journalists from around the world. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg won it in 2018 but will not Among the names is Ronaldo, as well as several of the retain her title after missing the World Cup. PARIS: The biggest names in world football will descend stars of the Liverpool side who won the Champions Among the stars of that tournament to be nominated dominate Hawks on Paris today for the 2019 Ballon d’Or ceremony, with League, chief among them Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. are England’s Lucy Bronze, Netherlands striker Vivianne At one point he looked like the favourite, but Messi Miedema, Australia’s Sam Kerr and the USA trio of Alex Lionel Messi and USA women’s World Cup superstar HOUSTON: James Harden scored 60 points to already pipped him to FIFA’s The Best title in September. Morgan, Rose Lavelle and Tobin Heath. Megan Rapinoe tipped to leave with the honours. It reach the mark for the fourth time in his career, as The 32-year-old top-scored in La Liga last season with However Rapinoe, the 34-year-old feminist icon and out- would be an enormous shock if Rapinoe did not depart the Houston Rockets steamrolled the visiting 36 goals as Barcelona won the title. He did not have a spoken critic of US President Donald Trump, should add this the Chatelet Theatre with the women’s prize as she Atlanta Hawks 158-111 on Saturday night. Harden great Copa America with Argentina, but his genius is honour to those of Golden Boot winner for top scorer and returns to the country where she was the driving force on made 16 of 24 field-goal attempts — the fewest undeniable. “If you give the Ballon d’Or to the best player Golden Ball for best player at the World Cup. Even her sup- and off the field for the United States as they retained ever in a 60-point game — including 8 of 14 from of this generation then you should give it always to Lionel posed rivals seem to be rooting for her. “She does lots of their title. 3-point range, and connected on 20 of 23 free- Messi. That’s how it is,” admitted Liverpool manager things off the pitch, but I think she is the favourite to win the The suspense surrounds the identity of the men’s win- throw attempts. He played just 31 minutes due to Jurgen Klopp. “But if you give it to the best player of last Ballon d’Or mainly down to her performances during the ner, 12 months after Croatia’s Luka Modric claimed the the one-sided contest and fell one point shy of his season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. I don’t know exactly World Cup,” Bronze told France Football. — AFP crown thanks to his exploits in dragging his country to career high of 61, accomplished twice. Harden’s fourth 60-point outing ties for third in NBA histo- ry with Michael Jordan. Only Wilt Chamberlain (32) and Kobe Bryant (six) have more. “That’s a great list right there. Those guys are something Saudi Arabia that I’m trying to get to,” Harden said in a postgame television interview. “Hopefully when it beat Bahrain is all said and done, I can be mentioned in that group forever.” Harden, who also had eight assists, DOHA: Saudi Arabia scored in each half to beat Bahrain 2- became the fourth player to score 50 or more 0 on Saturday and secure their first victory at the Arabian points on 20 occasions, trailing Chamberlain (118), Gulf Cup. Striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan put Saudi Arabia Jordan (31) and Bryant (25). ahead after 29 minutes and defender Mohammed Al- KINGS 100, NUGGETS 97 (OT) Khabrani doubled the lead with a 58th-minute header at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.

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